How Can He?
by Libquedation
Summary: A look into the mind of Dan Weaver as he watches his second in command walk willingly onto the Skitter ship.
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a short oneshot on how Weaver felt when he watched Mason walk away from him into the alien ship. And I know, this is really short, but just bear with me XP **

"Tom?" Weaver asked, his heart beating in a fast staccato, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. His finger twitched on his gun's trigger, fear twisting his insides.

Tom Mason looked at Weaver, an apology scrawled on his face. Weaver watched as Mason turned to Karen, goddamn harnessed Karen with her hand extended and her sweet face, and grabbed it, following her towards the bright ship and the extremely tall alien.

Tom Mason.

The man who had brought him back from the edge of the cliff twice now in just a few days. Mason had stopped him from leaving the Second Mass, and he had stopped him from disobeying direct orders and putting lives at risk for unnecessary reasons.

Tom had inadvertently saved him twice now.

Dan Weaver owed Tom Mason his life.

How was he supposed to go back to the school and tell his three amazing sons what their father had done?

Dan knew that Matt wouldn't understand, that Hal would get extraordinarily angry, and Ben would most likely feel betrayed by his father.

How could he possibly tear those children's lives apart?

That's exactly what they are too; children. The eldest may be 16 going on 17, but he was still so young. Too young to be hating his father for something like this. They were the closest things that he had to sons, other than Jimmy. He felt a connection with them, even if they clashed at times.

"Tom?" Weaver asked, his voice eerily quiet. The tall alien turned and looked at him once more before following Karen and Tom into the space ship.

Weaver felt his resolve melt. His gun wavered in front of him as he felt utter emptiness.

His second in command was leaving him, his sons, everything…he was leaving him.

How could he find someone who could bring Weaver back from the edge again and again?

He still couldn't sleep at night. The recurring dream of Skitters attacking him while he visited his home kept sneaking up on him. Every time he closed his eyes he saw it leaping at him, heard its hideous screeching.

He couldn't keep living with that.

After they had gotten back, the dreams kept coming, even though he weaned himself off the pills.

For Tom.

So that his second wouldn't have to deal with all the stress and the hellish decisions that came with being Captain of the Second Massachusetts. Tom would have cracked under the pressure after a while.

Weaver had lived a life in the military. He knew how to deal with the stress and pressure.

But he couldn't deal with the nightmares, the mood swings.

But Tom…Tom had said just the right words to bring him back from the edge of the cliff of insanity. It may have only been a few feet from the edge, but a few feet was much farther away then right on the cusp of the rock face.

And now Tom was sacrificing himself for the knowledge that may save his son.

Weaver knew he would have done the same for his daughter, for his wife. Done anything to save them, to even know they were alive.

But he couldn't stand to see his second walk away.

As they walked into the light, Weaver felt pain. "Tom?" He asked one last time, the word slipping out of his mouth into the silent night. He knew Mason couldn't hear him, but the shock of it all caused him to try, just one last time.

The ship slowly lifted into the air, then blasted off in the direction of the structure. Weaver stood in silence, watching the ship until it was only a bright, moving spot on the sea of darkness that was the night sky.

Wordlessly and without recognition of what he was doing, Dan Weaver lowered his gun and walked back to the car, stepping on the gas and speeding in the direction of the school. He knew that a few Fighters would be there still, waiting for any members of the bomb squad to return.

He knew they would wait until nightfall of the next day, and then they would move on, following the civilians through the tunnel to a new safe place.

Pressing his foot harder on the pedal, his fingers clenched the steering wheel until he felt his bones grating against the leather.

What could he possibly say to the Mason boys?

How could he soften this blow?

How could he go on without his trusted second?

Out of nowhere, Weaver felt a huge wave of nausea overtake him, causing him to slam on the brakes and step shakily out of the car, vomiting on the side of the road until he had nothing left in him.

Weaver knew the symptoms of shock.

He knew he was somewhat in shock.

And he also knew he would shake it off by the time he arrived at the school.

But that didn't solve his problems.

What was he going to do?


	2. Chapter 2

**This is probably just the last chapter of this story. I honestly wasn't planning on writing another chapter, but since I got all those reviews begging me to, I decided to give in :P And plus this part popped into my head randomly while walking my dog! It's short, but hey, it's the idea that popped in my head :) **

Dan Weaver pulled up to the school in the car, it shuddering to a stop beneath him.

He saw his fighters stalk up to the car, Margaret among them, along with Jimmy.

But he could not get out of the car. His fingers tightly gripped the wheel, his knuckles still white and cracked, blood from the skirmish in the city before.

Weaver knew he had to get out of the car, knew he had to explain why he was back but Tom, the man who had gone to get him, was currently absent.

Weaver looked up out of the cracked and smeared windshield to see none other than Anne walk in front of the car, standing amongst the fighters with a pistol strapped to her hip.

He felt his resolve crack. He had seen Tom and Anne, seen the way they moved around each other, gravitating towards each other as if magnetized. He knew that they obviously felt something for the other.

And Weaver also knew that finding out a loved one was not coming back in the immediate future was heartbreaking, capable of changing someone into an unrecognizable version of themselves.

Slowly, he reached over and unbuckled his seatbelt.

An unnecessary hindrance if he had gotten into a firefight, but old habits die hard.

Unlocking the door, he stepped out of the car, walking straight past the fighters and into the school, pockmarks from the battle that had inevitably raged earlier in the day.

Slamming open the glass doors, Weaver stalked down the hallways, walking with a purpose, ignoring the hurried footsteps behind him as he walked and walked, until he finally reached the classroom that had been designated as his office.

Closing the door quietly, Weaver slouched against it, removing his hat and running his hands over his head.

A slight knock rapped on the door, causing Weaver to startle out of his reverie.

"Captain Weaver? Can I come in? It's Anne." Came the quiet voice. Weaver jolted himself up and opened the door slightly for her, Anne's figure slipping into the room.

"What's wrong? Why isn't Tom with you?" She asked, concern and wariness making her voice defensive and edgy.

Weaver walked forward until he reached a chair, slouching down into it with a sigh.

"He's gone Anne. He went with them…to save Ben."

Anne didn't speak. She cocked her head and walked around the chair slowly until she was right in front of Weaver, her hands shaking.

"What?"

"Karen…she, she was in the middle of the road. A ship came down, and offered him a solution to saving Ben and the other kids…They're turning into Skitters, aren't they?" Weaver asked, his voice low the whole time. He looked up at Anne, a scared look in his eyes. "Aren't they?' he asked, his voice raising with desperation.

She nodded, her feet carrying her backwards until she hit the window. She leaned against it heavily, her shaking hands coming to rest on the windowsill.

"Shit." Weaver cursed, dropping his head.

"Weaver, what happened out there?" Anne asked, her voice full of sadness and fear and other things he didn't know.

"He left. He left." He whispered. "Tom left."

He heard Anne slump against the wall, he heard her slip her hands into her head, heard her slight sobs.

"How do we tell them? She eventually ground out.

Weaver sat in silence for a while. Anne stared him down, but his gaze was out the window, looking at the Skitter's monolith in the skyline.

"We don't. We tell them that he is meeting up with us later on, that we got separated."

"Dan, we don't know how long he will be gone. They will know something is up after a week or so."

"We still don't tell them. Hal will hate his father, becoming unreachable and risky in the missions he decides to go out on. He won't take care of himself if he found out his father left willingly with them. Ben will believe it to be his fault and never find a way to get out of that hole of guilt, especially if he never comes back. Matt won't understand."

Weaver turned to look up at Anne.

"We cannot tell them the truth. It will destroy the family."

Anne nodded, tears coming to her eyes, one managing to slip down her face before she quickly wiped it away.

"We don't tell them." Anne whispered back, looking out the window herself. "Will he come back?"

The question was barely loud enough for Weaver to hear. He fathomed that it was more for her to reassure herself, but he answered anyway.

"We cannot doubt. He will be back." Weaver said, certainty filling his voice the more he spoke. "He will be back."


End file.
